Can opener and dispenser



E. KOWER CAN OPENER AND DISPENSER March 6, 1951 Filed Jan. 20, 1947 INVENTOR. swam/5 flak/5w Patented Mar. 6, 1951 UNITED STATES ,PATENT OFFICE CAN OPENER AND DISPENSER Eugene Kower, Piedmont, Calif. Application January 20, 1947, Serial No. 723,062 Claims. (01. 222-835) My invention relates to a household utility and more particularly to a combined can opener and dispenser.

Among the objects of my invention are:

(1) To provide a novel and improved can opener and dispenser;

(2) To provide a novel and improved can opener and dispenser adapted to house the original container and dispense the contents thereof in a sanitary manner;

(3) To provide a novel and improved can opener and dispenser for the above purpose, which can be readily cleaned and sterilized following use thereof;

(4) To provide a novel and improved can opener and dispenser for the above purpose, which is so designed as to protect the contents against contamination from the outside;

(5) To provide a novel and improved can opener and dispenser which can be easily utilized for its intended purpose;

(6) To provide a novel and improved can opener and dispenser capable of being produced economically.

('7) To provide a novel and improved can opener and dispenser capable of being readily applied and without probable injury to the hand.

Additional objects of my invention will be brought out in the following description of a preferred embodiment of the same taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein- Figure 1 is an elevational view in section through a preferred embodiment of my invention;

Figure 2 is a view in section taken in the plane 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the device of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a detail in the construction of the device of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, the device comprises two major parts, namely, a receptacle l and a cover 3 therefor.

The receptacle is to receive the can 4 whose contents is to be dispensed, and its dimensions are accordingly determined with that in mind. It is preferably formed with a raised central portion 5 on which the can Will rest and which will permit ready angular rotational movement of the can, which, it will be seen, is required in the application of the cover to the receptacle.

The receptacle is preferably molded of plasti and in molding the same, is formed with a cammed outer surface, including a plurality of about the periphery of the receptacle.

: CAI; correspondingly distributed points, the inner wall of the receptacle is recessed to provide vertical channels 9, in the lower end of each of which is anchored a leaf spring I I which extends upwardly in spaced substantially parallel rela- .tionship tothe inner wall of the receptacle and cooperates with the others to constitute a centering means for the can which is to be placed in the receptacle.

The cover is of hollow dome shape, and like the receptacle, is preferably molded of plastic material. It is formed with diametrically opposed recesses l3 in the upper portions thereof, and with a depending apron IE to fit over the receptacle. This depending apron has its inner Wall cammed to provide a plurality of thicker portions I'I similar in number to those on the outer surface of the receptacle, whereby through a partial rotation of the cover, either in a right or left handed direction, following application of the same to the receptacle, the cover may be caused to jam. In this way, the cover may be frictionally in a depending tapered perforating tube 23 ofmetal which is preferably molded therein in the 1 of the can and establish communication between the interior of the can and its associated pouring spout, whereby either spout can function as a discharge passage or a vent, depending on the direction of tilt established in the act of pouring the contents of the can. In this connection, it is to be noted that the smooth rounded contour of thecover is free of projections, thus permitting of such application of pressure without danger of injury to the hand.

A sealing washer 25 about each perforating tube will serve to preclude leakage into the dispenser, and assure that all of the contents of the can will flow through either one or the other of the discharge spouts.

By so disposing the perforating tubes as to puncture the can adjacent the edge thereof, a maximum utilization of the cans contents may be realized.

'To prevent contamination of the contents of the can from outside agencies, I provide each portion of the cap and anchored at each end in V the cover.

Due to gravity acting thereon, the caps will maintain discharge spouts closed during periods when the dispenser is not in use. When tilting the dispenser, however, to pour through one of the discharge spouts, the cap associated with that spout through which pouring is to take place, tends to swing away from its associated spout and permit such pouring to occur.

The other cap, however, will tend to remain in its closed position. To preserve the venting function of the spout under these conditions, the ridge about the spout is formed with a radial groove 3 I.

While pouring from the dispenser, it becomes desirable that the cap associated with the discharge spout in use, shall swing away sufliciently to preclude contact by the discharging liquid. With this in mind, I provide a pair of diametrically disposed perforations 33 in the upper end of the dome-shaped cover, which permits of inter-. connecting both discharge spout caps by a coil spring 35 under tension.

Such connection is effected by anchoring the spring to each cap at a point slightly. above the hinge pin. This is made possible by imbedding a transverse pin 31 in the cap and exposing an intermediate portion thereof, over which the spring may be hooked.

With the spring installed as indicated, the pull exerted thereby on each cap is such as to oppose gravitational pull thereon. With regard to thatv spout through which pouring is to take place, the gravitational pull on its associated cap becomes weaker as the dispenser is tilted, until an intermediate angle of tilt is reached, at which time the spring tension is sufiicient to overcome the weakened effect of gravity and the cap will then snap open to a full open position.

With regard to the other cap, it will approach a horizontal position during the pouring operation and, accordingly, as it approaches this posi-. tion, the gravitational pull on the cap becomes more effective to close that discharge spout with which it is associated and, accordingly, the spring will have no effect thereon.

From the above description of a preferred embodiment of my invention, it becomes apparent that it fulfills all the objects related therefor, and while I have described the same in considerable detail, I do not desire to be limited in my protection to the specific details disclosed, except as may be necessitated by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A can opener and dispenser comprising means for holding a can, said means including a receptacle having a columnar cammed outer side wall surface and a plurality of centering springs in the inner side wall surface; and means for closing the upper end of said receptacle, said means including a hollow cover having a recessed portion and terminating in a depending apron having a columnar cammed inner side wall surface substantially complementary to the cammed outer side wall surface of said receptacle to permit wedging of said cover on said receptacle in response to relative rotation of the same with re-- spect to each other, a vertical pouring spout terminating at its upper end in a circular ridge lying in a sloping plane within said recessed portion of said cover and at its lower end in a depending tapered perforating tube of circular section, a cap for said spout, a hinge adjacent the upper end of said cap and anchored in said cover, and a spring under tension within said cover having an end connected to said spout cap above the hinge axis thereof, said caps, in the normal vertical position of said dispenser, being of sufficient weight to overcome the opening pull of said spring but of insufficient weight to overcome said pull when moved toward a vertical plane in the act of tilting said dispenser from its vertical position to a pouring position.

2. A can opener and dispenser comprising means for holding a can, said means including a receptacle having a columnar cammed outer side wall surface and a plurality of centering springs mounted on the inner side wall surface; and means for closing the upper end of said receptacle, said means including a cover having a depending apron with a columnar cammed inner side wall surface complementary to the columnar cammed outer side wall surface of said receptacle to permit wedging of said cover on said receptacle in response to relative rotation of the same with respect to each other, a pair of vertical pouring spouts, each terminating at its lower end in a depending tapered perforating tube of circular section, a hingedly mounted cap for each of said spouts, and a spring under tension having its ends connected to said spout caps above the hinge axes thereof.

3. A can opener and dispenser comprising means for holding a can, said means including a receptacle having a columnar cammed outer side wall surface; and means for closing the upper end of said receptacle, said means including a hollow cover of dome shape having diametrically located recessed portions, and terminating in a depending apron having a columnar cammed inner side Wall surface substantially complementary to the columnar cammed outer side wall surface of said receptacle to permit wedging of said cover on said receptacle in response to relative rotation of the same with respect to each other, a pair of pouring spouts, each terminating at its upper end within one of the recessed portions of said cover and at its lower end in a depending tapered perforating tube of circular section, a cap for each of said spouts, a hinge adjacent the upper end of each cap and anchored in said cover, and a spring under tension within said cover having its ends connected to said spout caps above the hinge axes thereof and exerting an opening pull thereon, each of said caps, in the normal vertical position of said dispenser, being of sufficient Weight to overcome said spring pull but of insuflicient weight to overcome said pull when moved toward a vertical plane in the act of tilting said dispenser to a pouring position.

4. A dispenser comprising a receptacle, a cover for said receptacle, said cover having a pair of diametrically disposed pouring spouts, each terminating at its upper end in a sloping plane, a cap for each of said spouts, a hinge adjacent an end of each of said caps and anchored to said cover, and a spring under tension having its ends connected to the hinged ends of said caps and exerting an opening pull on said caps, each of said caps having a gravitational pull thereon sufiicient to overcome said spring pull with said dispenser in its normal vertical position but insuflicient to overcome said spring pu l when a cap is moved toward a vertical plane the act. of tilting said dispenser to a pouring position, whereupon such cap will snap open to its full open position under the action of said spring.

5. A dispenser comprising a receptacle, a cover for said receptacle, said cover being of dome shape and having diametrically located recessed portions, a pair of pouring spouts, each terminating at its upper end in a sloping plane within a recessed portion of said dome-shaped cover, a cap for each of said spouts, a hinge adjacent the upper end of each cap and anchored to said cover, and a spring under tension having its ends conheated to said spout caps above the hinge axes thereof and exerting an opening pull on said caps, each of said caps having a gravitational pull thereon sufiicient to overcome said spring pull with said dispenser in its normal vertical position but insufiicient to overcome said spring pull when a cap is moved toward a vertical plane in the act of tilting said dispenser to a pouring position, whereupon such cap will snap open to its full open position under the action of said spring.

EUGENE: KOWER.

6 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

